League cancels Loney Bowl amid eligibility controversy

Acadia Axemen running back Dale Wright rushes against the Saint Mary’s Huskies in AUS football action earlier in the season. The Axemen have been awarded the AUS championship after the Loney Bowl was cancelled on Thursday.

Atlantic University Sport has cancelled Saturday’s Loney Bowl due to an unresolved eligibility issue involving the Saint Mary’s Huskies football program and awarded the league title to the Acadia Axemen.

But Saint Mary’s is hoping a Hail Mary will help them get back in the game.

Margaret Murphy, associate vice-president, external affairs at Saint Mary’s, says the university filed action earlier in the week with the Ontario Superior Court. She is hopeful of a decision on Friday.

“I would say the process we are focused on is the one before the Ontario Superior Court,” said Murphy. “We have a written and binding agreement with U Sports that we reached on Oct. 27 that put to rest any eligibility issue with our players and so we are proceeding to the Ontario Superior Court. We filed earlier this week and the hearing was today (Thursday).

“We’re asking the Ontario Superior Court to reinforce that written agreement with U Sports.”

With the clock ticking down to the Loney Bowl at Acadia, the first-place finishers in the conference, and no clear opponent, AUS executive director Phil Currie said there was little choice but to make the difficult decision.

“There is an eligibility issue taking place and that is being held by U Sports, but there is a legal challenge happening at the national level,” Currie said on Thursday. “We are so uncertain of the direction that it is going to go so we felt that this was the only thing we could do to ensure that we have backed up our integrity and policies and our values.

“It’s between U Sports now and Saint Mary’s and I don’t have all the details and one of the reasons this has been delayed in terms of the decision is because of that.”

Acadia will now host the Ontario University Athletics conference champion in the Uteck Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 18. The Western Mustangs and Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks meet in the Yates Cup conference championship this Saturday.

Murphy doesn’t understand the actions taken by the AUS.

“This matter raises important concerns around the application of policies within the AUS. It is very unfortunate that the AUS is taking such unilateral action against one of its own members, without affording them due process, and in so doing is attempting to undercut a pending decision by the Ontario Superior Court.

“The university maintains its position that there is no eligibility issue and strongly disagrees with the AUS’s decision to forgo the championship game and appoint an AUS conference champion.”

Murphy said the Huskies are preparing to play on Saturday.

“We’re making sure we can do everything in our power to be prepared and that means both on the field and in the courtroom.”

According to media reports, the player in question is Huskies wide receiver Archelaus Jack.

The issue stems from Jack being listed on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ practice roster last season until he was released on Oct. 11, 2016. A U Sports eligibility rule allows for a player to return to the university level if he’s no longer listed on a CFL practice roster after Aug. 15. Beyond that, U Sports prohibits participation in university competition for one year after his release date. Jack appeared in five regular season games prior to Oct. 11 of this year.

The Axemen have been awaiting an opponent since the AUS semifinal last Saturday when the Huskies edged the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 16-15 at Huskies Stadium. The controversy as to which team had earned its rightful place in the conference championship game was a major concern for the AUS.

Currie doesn’t see the decision by the AUS as a black eye for the organization.

“We were kind of forced into a corner here,” said Currie “We are less than 48 hours from hosting a championship and we have no resolution from a national perspective on this eligibility issue.

“One of our principles is to have a level playing field around eligibility and we have no confidence around the certainty of that in this case.

“This is the most difficult decision of my career,” continued Currie, “but it’s the best thing for the organization and supporting our principals and demonstrating integrity.”

Kevin Dickie, executive director of Acadia athletics, expressed his disappointment in the cancellation of the Loney Bowl.

“As the intended hosts of the 2017 AUS football championship game, we are disappointed by the events which have transpired that have led to the cancellation of the championship game,” Dickie said in a news release.

“The circumstances are unfortunate, but we respect the decision taken by Atlantic University Sport. Make no mistake, for many reasons Acadia is disappointed that it will not be hosting the Loney Bowl on our campus, as this upcoming Saturday was to be very special for our community.”